Britain ‘risks losing pole position’ in race for self-driving cars

Britain risks losing its lead on European rivals in the race to develop self-driving cars, according to the organisation responsible for coordinating testing on UK roads.

Daniel Ruiz, chief executive of government-backed Meridian, said that although British efforts lagged behind Silicon Valley and US carmakers, there was a chance to “grasp the European market and establish ourselves”.

He said: “We are not first among equals; the Waymos of this world are out in the lead, but they, of course, are focusing on the American market. I suspect they will go to America, Asia and then come to Europe, so we’ve got a bit of time if we want to – we can do that, but we haven’t got much time.”